Stretchable and transparent electrodes — called omnidirectionally stretchable electrodes — have been developed for applications in flexible and wearable electronics. For practical applications, the electrical and optical properties of stretchable electrodes should be independent of the directions of the applied stress.

Cancer patients who also undergo radiation therapy experience unfortunate side effects including skin irritation, and sometimes peeling and blistering. Researchers are testing a new imaging device designed to monitor, quantify, and hopefully one day predict skin toxicity levels induced by radiation therapy. Using visible and near-infrared light at very low power, the researchers are trying to characterize the skin damage during radiation therapy, especially for the treatment of breast cancer.

Researchers have developed a rubber-like fiber that can flex and stretch while simultaneously delivering both optical impulses, for optoelectronic stimulation, and electrical connections, for stimulation and monitoring. They wanted to create a multimodal interface with mechanical properties compatible with tissues for neural stimulation and recording as a tool for better understanding spinal cord functions. It was essential for the device to be stretchable, because the spinal cord is not only bending but also stretching during movement.

Researchers have developed a prototype smart shirt that integrates validated medical-grade electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring with breathing rate and breathing depth. The use of state-of-the-art printed electronics technology offers complete freedom in design and optimization of printed sensors and electronics, being as thin as 60 µm and up to 100 percent stretchable. The properties of the electronics thereby become similar to those of a textile, allowing unobtrusive integration. The design can be adapted for a variety of applications, including patient monitoring in hospitals.

Engineers have created a new format of solids made from silk protein that can be preprogrammed with biological, chemical, or optical functions, such as mechanical components that change color with strain, deliver drugs, or respond to light. Using a water-based fabrication method based on protein self-assembly, the researchers generated 3D bulk materials out of silk fibroin, the protein that gives silk its durability.

The reauthorization of the Medical Device User Fee Amendments (MDUFA) brings more pressure for FDA to shorten its review times back to “historical norms” and to provide more consistency in the review process. And after the success of an independent review authorized in MDUFA III in 2012, MDUFA IV has authorized two independent reviews of the agency over the next five years. Total funding for the five-year agreement is $999.5 million.

A group of graduate students from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, devised a sandal-like controller that allows a video game player to control the on-screen action with his feet. The team — dubbed GEAR, for Game Enhancing Augmented Reality — created the device for amputees or those with disabilities that inhibit use of their arms or hands.

Many things in the natural world are geometrically chiral, meaning they cannot be superimposed onto their mirror image. Being able to observe and analyze the chirality of an object is very important in numerous fields. However, current chiral imaging techniques to resolve polarization and spectral (color) information require multiple cascading components, leading to bulky and expensive pieces of equipment.

Researchers in MIT’s Media Lab, Cambridge, MA, have created “Cilllia,” a new computational method for designing and 3D printing artificial hair. 3D printers have been unable to print hair, fur, and other dense arrays of extremely fine features that require a huge amount of computational time and power.

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MDB - INSIDE STORY

Christopher Scott

To find out more about the expertise that Eurofins brings to this area, and the company's plans for expansion into the United States, Medical Device Briefs recently spoke with Christopher Scott, vice president of Eurofins Medical Device Testing.